CHAPTER EIGHT
"Again!"
Zora huffed in annoyance at Sam's command, her energy slowly dwindling. She and the others had been practice-fighting for hours, and it seemed as though Sam wasn't feeling kind enough to let them rest any time soon.
She was battling Embry, who beat her in all of the important categories: skill, speed, and strength. She obviously thought it was an unfair match; he had been a wolf longer than her and had more training - which meant he was always winning. Sam didn't care much for her complaints, though, and continued pairing them. She was only able to catch him off guard once, but hadn't been able to bring him down.
Luckily, he wasn't the type to brag, but the same couldn't be said for Paul.
"He's whooping your ass!" he shouted, hollering with laughter. "Are you sure you're even a wolf?"
An agitated growl emitted from her throat. She would much rather end her practice and sink her teeth into Paul, but since she wasn't able to, she took out her anger on Embry instead. Fatigue dissipating, she pounced on the pale grey wolf in front of her. He was unprepared for her surge in speed, and before he could react, her jaw was locked around one of his hind legs and he was being yanked to the ground.
"I told you that would work," Paul said to Jacob. The two of them chuckled together, but Jacob was genuinely pleased with Zora's progress. A few weeks of patrolling with her - and the laughter-filled, heart-to-heart conversations that ensued - dissolved most of the tension between them (though there was another type of tension that both of them pretended didn't exist). She confided in him her anxiety and fear about the very near, very violent future they faced, and when she doubted herself, he had been there to remind her that she was resilient, that she and him and the rest of the pack would get through this.
Zora released Embry from her grip and yipped with excitement. Of course, she thought, all it would take was some smart ass comment from Paul to make me mad enough. Although she may have appreciated the help, she definitely wouldn't thank him because that would only feed his already large ego. She hid behind a tree to shift, quickly pulling on a pair of shorts and a ratty t-shirt. And when she emerged, her eyes immediately zeroed in on Embry's bare ass. He was having a casual conversation with Sam...completely naked.
"Uh, Embry?" she coughed, her gaze focused intently on his disheveled hair. "Shouldn't you put on some clothes?"
He turned around, uncaring that he was giving her and the others a full frontal shot of his...nether regions. "Nah. Why? Are you shaming my naked body?"
"No, it's just—"
"No one wants to see your dick," Leah sneered, earning loud laughs and a high-five from Seth that she didn't accept.
Embry rolled his eyes. "Fine, but just so we're all clear: my dick is beautiful."
Another round of laughter echoed through the clearing, and while he clothed himself - about time, Zora thought - she took his spot in front of Sam. "So, how'd I do?"
He smiled. "You did well—"
"Thanks to me!" Paul interjected.
"However," Sam continued, "it's important that you learn how to harness your strength from another source, from something other than anger."
"What do you mean 'another source'? After I got angry, I was able to bring down Embry."
Sam opened his mouth to speak, but a quick look from Jacob stopped him. The Alpha gave a nod of approval.
"He means that you can't always rely on your anger to get you through a fight."
Zora turned around and found that Jacob was standing only a few feet away from her. His gaze flustered her, and though she tried playing it off by examining her cuticles, he definitely noticed (and enjoyed her reaction).
"When you take on a bloodsucker, you may not be angry. You may be so scared that you won't want to move, but you'll have to push past that fear and focus. Focus on the fact that you'll have to save your - or someone else's - life."
She nodded even though she wasn't listening to a word he said. She tried - really, she did - but he smelled of pine trees and sweat, his torso bare, and she found that she couldn't take his advice and "focus" with such an appealing combination presented to her.
"Sounds, uh, good," she responded, realizing too late that she had given herself away. She looked around, noticing that most of her pack mates wore knowing smirks.
"What are you looking at?"
"The drool," Leah snickered, pointing to her chin. "Your mouth was hanging open."
Panicked, Zora put a hand to her chin, and after feeling no such thing, narrowed her eyes at her smug best friend. "Guess you and I are fighting next."
"My pleasure."
Though it was well into the evening, many large bodies crowded Sam and Emily's house. The couple decided that the wolves needed a relaxing dinner after such a taxing day and were working together to create a huge, delicious meal.
"Might as well put on some mascara and lipstick," Paul yelled to Sam from the living room. He and Jared were sprawled across the couch, the two of them fighting over a bag of chips while Quil flipped through channels.
Zora was sitting at the kitchen table, laughing as Sam ceased his vegetable-chopping to saunter over to Paul and wrestle the chips out of his hands.
"So, Zora…" Emily said, standing over a cast-iron pan popping with oil. "A little birdy told me that you're making some improvements in your fighting."
"And who would that 'little birdy' be?" she replied, peeling potatoes and discarding the skins in a glass bowl.
Emily motioned towards her fiancé, causing the younger girl to smile sheepishly.
"I don't think I've improved that much. The only reason I was able to beat Embry was because Paul was being annoying and got under my skin, as usual."
"You're welcome!" he shouted.
"An improvement is an improvement," Sam replied, taking his spot beside Emily once more. "Plus, your speed and strength have increased, and your reflexes are getting sharper. Remember that the small things are still important."
"Thanks, Sam," she smiled again.
"Don't let those compliments go to your head," Leah's voice rang out from the doorway. She strolled into the kitchen and took the seat next to Zora, nodding curtly at Emily and ignoring Sam altogether. "You still lost to me."
"Not for long," Zora said playfully. She could see that Leah was uncomfortable in close proximity with her ex and her cousin, her body rigid and turned away from the couple. She didn't enjoy being in their house, but showed up for pack dinners only if Zora was there. In return, Zora would leave early with her, and they'd either spend the rest of the night watching movies with Sue or making a second meal - and a mess - in Zora's kitchen.
"What's for dinner?" Seth asked, walking in a minute after his sister and taking the empty seat beside her.
"Hmm, let's see," Emily answered. "Mashed potatoes, roasted vegetables, corn bread, fried chicken, and for dessert…ice cream."
"We don't deserve you," he remarked fondly, earning a hair tousle from his older cousin. Leah clenched her jaw, looking as if she wanted to say something, but holding her tongue instead.
Soon, the vegetables were roasted, the potatoes were mashed, the corn bread was baked, the chicken was fried to perfection, and many empty stomachs were rumbling. The amount of food Emily and Sam cooked was enough to feed three families, but it was easily demolished. Zora, being a newly-turned vegetarian, filled her plate high with potatoes and vegetables and helped herself to numerous servings of corn bread. After finishing, she was slumped against her chair, her stomach full and puffed out.
Then Jacob walked in, and she immediately sat up straight.
"Quil made plates for you two," Emily said, looking content underneath Sam's arm.
He and Embry said thanks in unison and headed for their food. Inconspicuously, Jacob looked for Zora in the sea of bodies crowding the kitchen. His face brightened when he found her, but it didn't last as he saw Embry slide into the chair next to her. Mouth set in a straight line, he took the seat across from them, and though he tried concealing his annoyance, Zora didn't miss the look of irritation that flashed across his face when Embry leaned over and whispered something in her ear.
"How'd it go with the leeches?" Paul questioned, shoveling spoonfuls of rocky road ice cream into his mouth.
"Fine," Jacob said firmly. "There haven't been any new sightings for them either, and they haven't found any tracks."
Sam sighed. "So the vampire is still on track to come to Forks?"
"That's what the doctor said. He's been paying attention to reports of missing people in Seattle. About four more people have disappeared this month." He glanced at Zora again, his face warming when he noticed her staring back at him. "He's almost one-hundred percent sure the mystery vampire is creating an army."
"Whoever it is, it seems like they're trying to gain strength in numbers."
Jacob nodded. "Apparently, the psychic vamp is having some trouble seeing them."
"What do you mean?" Sam inquired, sitting forward with his hands clasped.
"She thinks that the mystery vamp knows about the blind spots in her visions and is using them to their advantage by hiding behind them."
"Does that mean the vampire is like, five steps ahead of us?" Quil asked.
"More like two steps," Jacob replied, pausing to tear into his chicken. "Not ahead of us, though. Just the Cullens, but they don't seem too worried. The psychic is positive the mystery leech doesn't know that we're involved. Plus her mate has experience fighting newborns. He and the doctor think it would be a good idea for all of us to train together."
"Wait - they want us to train with them?" Leah questioned, wearing a grimace of disgust.
"Yes. They want us to be prepared since we've never fought a large group of bloodsuckers before."
Jared gave a vigorous head shake. "Absolutely not. There's no way I'm being trained by a leech to kill other leeches."
"Who do they think we are?" Paul added. "Amateurs?"
Most of the guys - and Leah - shared similar sentiments, Seth was practically bouncing in his seat with excitement, and Zora remained quiet. She wasn't sure how to feel other than nervous. The protests grew louder and louder until Sam said, "Enough." Everyone quieted, their full attention focused on him as they awaited his decision.
"The Cullens...are right. It would be wise to take them up on their offer."
A chorus of groans filled the room.
"But—"
"Think clearly, everyone. We were able to destroy the vampire in the meadow together, but he was alone. We may be facing dozens this time, and they already have us beat in speed and strength because they're new. I'd rather be trained by an experienced vampire than go in blind. If anything happened to any of you…" he trailed off, the last part too difficult to imagine.
As much as they didn't want to admit it, the wolves knew he was correct. Their duty was to protect others, but they had to ensure each other's safety as well.
"Ugh, fine," Paul grumbled, the first to break the silence. "I'm in, but if the buff one looks at me funny—"
"Dude, shut up," Embry laughed.
The rest joined in - except for Leah, who didn't find Paul's antics entertaining. "Are we done here? My mom is expecting Seth and I home soon."
"Sure," Sam said, offering a small smile.
As usual, she didn't budge.
"The bonfire is on Saturday," he muttered. "Don't forget."
She nodded, quickly heading for the door and not looking back as she left. Seth gave an apologetic smile and followed suit, bidding everyone goodnight and hugging Emily before departing.
"I should get going, too," Zora said. She tried to beat her mom home most nights because she didn't want her to ask questions. She had no idea about her daughter's transformation, and for her safety, Zora had no choice but to keep it that way.
"Are you feeling alright?" Embry asked her. "You were pretty quiet tonight."
"I'm okay. Just - just overwhelmed, a little. And tired."
He gave her a reassuring pat on the arm. "It's okay to be worried, but you're strong as hell. Remember that."
"Thanks, Embry," she grinned. "Are we still on for practice tomorrow?"
"Yeah. I'll swing by around 8:30."
She nodded in agreement, heading towards Emily to give her a farewell hug. After wishing everyone else a good night, she walked to the door and pushed it open.
"Wait!" Jacob called out.
She paused, slowly turning around to face him and his unreadable expression. Had the moment been with anyone else, she would have laughed at how dramatic and awkward they were being.
He wasn't just anyone, though.
Her stomach somersaulted, her nerves exacerbated by the smug, expectant audience the two of them always seemed to have. She decided she would play it cool and nonchalantly raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"
"I could give you a ride home...if you'd like."
Zora knew there was a number of ways she could respond. The part of her controlled by the imprint wanted to give an eager yes, but her rational, free-willed side - the part of her that didn't want to give herself up to their bond - wanted to say no, that she could walk home by herself without his protection or assistance. The way he shoved his hands into his pockets, though, as if he felt both nervous and vulnerable, was so endearing that her hesitance melted away.
"Of course."
His face brightened instantly, and grabbing the extra plate of food made for Billy, he followed her through the door. But of course, they couldn't leave without some form of taunting from the pack.
"Make sure you give her a nice, long ride!" Paul shouted.
Cheeks inflamed, both Zora and Jacob yelled "Shut up!" in unison, feeling mortified and refusing to look at each other as they rushed towards the Rabbit.
(Revised 1/10/2021)
